The technique at present used for mounting optoelectric laser chips in low-cost applications most often includes soldering of a chip to a ceramic or silicon carrier. Alignment between the optical active part of a laser and the core of a fibre can be achieved by virtue of the possibilities of etching silicon with great precision and the use of a technique in which the laser is firmly soldered and aligned with the aid of the surface tension forces present in a solder melt. Some sort of gluing technique is normally used, for instance, to fasten pin diodes to a carrier. Optical mirrors produced by etching in silicon and metallising the surface are often used to reflect light from a fibre to a pin diode.
When an optoelectric laser chip is to be mounted on a ceramic carrier or a silicon carrier, there often arises the problem of dissipating heat generating in the chip. Varying chip temperature can, in operation, influence the transmitted wavelength. An excessively high operating temperature can also shorten the useful life of the chip. Furthermore, ceramic and silicon carriers often demand a high price, due to the relatively complicated manufacturing processes involved.